Accountability for Human Rights Violations by International Organisations

With the proliferation of international organisations and their ever increasing role in a wide range of policy fields, situations multiply in which human rights are threatened or violated through the actions, operations or policies of such organisations. The present book, with carefully selected contributions from many prominent scholars and practitioners, is the first to explore these problems in a comprehensive manner and to examine the accountability mechanisms that are available.

In a first, cross-cutting part, the contributions study general concepts, such as the accountability of international organisations as an evolving legal concept, international organisations as independent actors, the logic of sliding scales in the law of international responsibility and the relations between the international organisations and their Member States in regard to their respective obligations and responsibilities.

The subsequent parts of the book focus on the accountability for human rights violations attributable to international organisations in four areas: (i) peace and humanitarian operations; (ii) international civil administration; (iii) economic governance; and (iv) staff of international organisations.


About the editors:

Jan Wouters is Jean Monnet Chair, Professor of International Law and International Organisations and Director of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and Institute for International Law at the University of Leuven.

Eva Brems is Professor of Human Rights Law and Non-Western Law at the University of Ghent.

Stefaan Smis is Professor of International Dispute Settlement at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and Reader in International Law at the University of Westminster.

Pierre Schmitt is Research Fellow at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and Institute for International Law at the University of Leuven.

With contributions by: Ige F. Dekker, Niels M. Blokker, Olivier De Schutter, Frederik Naert, Mateo Tondini, Ulf HäuBler, Peter R. Baehr, Kristin Bergtora Sandvik, Ralph Wilde, Eric De Brabandere, Remzije Istrefi, Gjylbehare Bella Murati, Rekha Oleschak-Pillai, Jeroen Denkers, Nicola Jägers, Stephen Sevidzem Kingah, Christine Janssens, Gauthier De Beco, Chittharanjan Felix Amerasinghe, Sarah Hunt, Osmat Azzam Jefferson and Edward Kwakwa.